Butterflies

"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!

Chapter 30 – Perspective: Allies vs Enemies

8-8

"It's been four days. Are you saying you still haven't found proof of anything?" The head honcho asks.

"We've found many things." Captain counters smoothly. "We simply do not wish to offer you half the story, and so we are trying to uncover more. Would it be acceptable if we were to… more directly investigate the suspects?"

"Hmm… perhaps if I knew more?" He says vaguely.

"We found… questionable items scattered here and there. We'd like to know how they got them." Captain, you rock sometimes, you know that?

"Possession is not enough?"

"You possess whiskey. Does that mean you bought it? Drink it?" Captain turns it around. "All that shows me, is that you possess it."

"As you wish. Yes, you may do as you please with the vagrants." He doesn't sound pleased. "Please inform me immediately what you find out."

8-8

Once outside of the building, Captain turns to us. #In case you missed it. We got new orders. Follow me.# A messenger hawk shows up this morning and you ask to 'interrogate' the suspects. No really, did the orders change?

We follow Captain to a nice little home on the edge of the village. He knocks, already apologizing for the interruption. A black-haired man, perhaps in his thirties, opens the door. "I ain't seen you 'round 'ere befo'. How can I 'elp ya." He asks politely.

"We're from Konoha. We were sent here to investigate you and your family." Captain explains. The man doesn't look too happy, but not surprised either. "Perhaps we could better discuss this inside?"

"Yeah." We're invited in, shown into the visitors' sitting room and offered tea by the lady of the house – a pretty woman with black hair and worn hands to show she's worked her way through life.

"It's alright. The tea's safe." Captain assures us. The man looks almost insulted. "Those that hired us have been trying to poison us for days. We're a bit paranoid right now."

I take a sip of my tea, enjoying it. "I see. So Naomi was right." The man looks disappointed about something. "Well, it can' be 'elped. Wha' d'yu intend ta do?"

"We've been given orders to protect your family and take out the rest. Is it just you and your wife?"

"'Fraid not. Ma father's 'ere 's well, an' ma son."

"In this house?" The man nods. "Good. Naruto, you've found the caches. Hide all four of them, together if you can. Keep at least one clone with them and be prepared to move out at all times. Aya. I need your shadow crows on the four corners of the house so we can spot if someone's coming. Sasuke, sit outside the front door. Try to look bored and annoyed."

"Then you better put Naruto outside. I don't do acting." Uchiha-san is such a…

"Fine. Aya. You go outside. I have plans for Naruto." I nod.

8-8

This is actually pretty nice. Just sitting here, in the sunlight. Feeling the warmth of the later afternoon sun. And what am I doing to pass the time? Playing my flute, of course! I've been playing song after song, just letting time slip passed me.

It's almost sunset before Naruto-nii comes out to join me. "Anything?" He asks. I shake my head, no. "They admitted to being shinobi, by the way. Rogues from the Hidden Dreams Village, chuunins actually. They just wanted to live a simple life." I shrug. It doesn't help or hurt the mission.

He's quiet for a while. "I've already sealed their things. We need to plant their headbands on some of the people we kill here, and torch the bodies until they're unrecognizable. Then we claim their bounties and have them declared dead." He explains. I shrug again. Nothing worse than we've already done. "They're coming with us to Konoha, this way they can at least live in peace." I nod, agreeing with him. Konoha is much further away. Frankly, I'm not sure why these stayed this close to the Land of Hills, but… whatever. They didn't strike me as particularly bright people.

"Oh. One more thing before I go back inside." Nii-san says, scratching his cheek for some reason. "I did a head count. Roughly sixty people in total that we might have to worry about. Kaka-sensei thinks there's more, but… it's at least a number to work with."

I shrug. I'm not a tracker, so I don't really care about details like that. All I need to know is when the fighting is meant to start. But… since when do you call Captain 'Kaka-sensei'?

"He wanted to tell me that you have permission to engage at any time. Do not get in over your head, and make sure to give us a heads up. He thinks we're facing mostly genins and maybe some chuunins, but the leader might be a jounin, so he's taking that one himself." Whatever. "Oh… and just to be sure. Don't start without me?"

I stop playing my flute, looking right at him. "Naruto-nii. You know I can take care of myself, right?"

"Duh? I'm trying to say you shouldn't hog all the fun!" No you're not. You're worried that I'm going to underestimate an opponent and get myself killed.

Either way, I wave him off and start playing my flute again. So far nothing's moved. But, I think if there's going to be an attack, they'll be coming late in the night – to take advantage of the low lighting and press the 'home turf advantage', or whatever.

8-8

Dinner time. Naruto-nii brings out my dinner, and we eat on the ground together. "The rainy season will start soon." I comment. He shrugs, not really caring.

I could never understand the weather in this country. It's 'summer' weather about eight months of the year. Then, after the 'last day of summer' it suddenly turns into a 'rain country' for a few weeks, then the temperature drops and it's all snow. Well, I say the temperature 'drops', but it's more like it plummets. Eighteen degrees centigrade one day, four degrees the next and it's all downhill from there! And the storm that comes with it? I shiver. I hate the rainy season!

"Think we'll be home before the rainy season starts?" I ask.

"Maybe. You don't like the rain, do you." He doesn't ask. I shake my head, no. Rain is depressing. And two to three weeks worth of rain is… worse. I prefer the snow, mostly because it's not nearly as bad and it looks really pretty when you're watching in from the warmth of your home!

"Still no sigh of anything. Either they're not aware of the plan, or they're planning on attacking when they think we're asleep." I say evenly.

"Nn." He noises, almost absently. Hmm, Captain has a plan if that's the case then. Take them out in their sleep while still protecting this family. Naruto-nii can create the numbers, but… killing someone in their sleep is completely different than defeating them in battle and killing them after.

A sudden influx of memories rips through me. "The head honcho's secretary is on her way here, alone. She's obviously upset about something." I say, already making two new shadow crows – one to replace the one that just dispelled, the other to update Captain.

It's not even a minute later when, "What's taking you so long!?" The pretty brunette walks up to us, obviously more upset than I thought.

"How should I know?" I ask, thinking about Uchiha-san asking me out on a date to make sure enough annoyance seeps into my voice. "We're supposed to 'stand guard'. Or did you not notice us sitting down outside?"

"… so your captain and the other boy are doing the interrogating?" She asks, eyeing me warily. I nod, rolling my eyes to show how much that annoys me. "Why just him?"

"It's called 'favouritism'. Heard of it?" I drone.

Nii-san laughs, poking my in my cheek to rile me up some more. "Aww, looks like someone needs to take her nappy-wappy before she gets grumpy-wumpy."

SLAP!

"Oi! Aya! What was that for!?" Nii-san asks, his forehead once again an angry red.

"For being an idiot?" That should be obvious.

"I'm telling Chouji-san on you~uuuuu!" He announces childishly. Kami-sama, it's hard keeping a straight face when he's like that!

"Well. It would seem Konoha's standards have slipped if you two are shinobi." The woman seems annoyed. It's called a cover, look it up.

"Says the head honcho's play thing." I quip. Heh, 'quip'. I like that word.

"Hey, sis. You think she'd know anything of value? I mean, she would know if they're really a hidden village trying to work its way up in the world." He asks, eyeing the woman closely.

I swat his shoulder. "You have no tact, you know that?"

"Tact…? Is it yummy?" He smirks. Idiot.

"Whatever. Fine. But you're the one that has to tie her up. I'm feeling lazy."

"Aww, come on! It was my idea!"

"Exactly. So you should be the one to tie her up." I like his reason better. 'I feel lazy' just comes over as a Nara-approved excuse.

The woman is looking at us like we're complete idiots. "Will you at least… I dunno, help with something!?"

I look at the woman, seallessly cast the Hellfire jutsu on her and knock her out with a Flying Knee Uppercut in the soft spot under her chin. I come back and sit down. "Happy?"

8-8

"You know… I'm starting to think that you two are a dangerous combination." Captain teases Nii-san and I. "This woman is a tokubetsu jounin." A chuunin with one area of skills at jounin level. Wow. So what? What if that 'skill' is administration? The ability to file paperwork like only a jounin could? Would that make her dangerous in a fight?

"She's also a complete idiot that underestimated us." I drone.

"Totally underestimated us." Nii-san agrees.

"Have you seen the way you two get on? I'd underestimate you, and I know better." Uchiha-san points out.

"Either way. I just need to wake her up and we can find out what's going on. Hopefully." Captain doesn't really think it's likely, but not trying is silly. He focuses a jutsu into his fingers and pokes her forehead. Not sure what he wants that to do, but I'm guessing it's a medical jutsu.

The woman stirs, slowly opening her eyes, and… "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?" What is she? A Haruno!?

"Well, she's awake at least." I drone, wiggling my pinkie in my ear to ease the pressure.

"…" She looks at me and Naruto-nii, then she turns to Captain and Uchiha-san. "… crap."

"Indeed. Now, do you want to talk willingly, or should I start teaching them torture techniques?" Captain asks, releasing just a little killing intent to show he's serious, but not upset yet.

"What do you want to know?" She asks carefully.

"Is this in fact a hidden village that houses, trains and/or facilitates shinobi?" Captain asks. She looks away. That's a yes, but Captain seems upset by that.

"Guys, I'm going to need a while with her. Aya, back to your post. Naruto, your mission starts in less than an hour. Be ready. Sasuke, the back door. No one enters this house until I give you permission, understood?"

8-8

Captain comes outside an hour later and plops down me and Naruto-nii. "How'd it go?"

"… This is now officially an A-rank mission. No one in this village other than Nobu-san and his family is permitted to live." He drones. Whatever he found out, I obviously don't want to hear it.

"Captain, we'll handle it." I tell him, placing a hand on his shoulder for (emotional) support.

"Naruto." He trudges on. "The village has orders to attack at midnight, whether she reports back in or not. That means most of the younger ones should be taking a nap about now. The more experienced ones won't. Take out everyone you can. If you cannot stomach it, fine. But…" It's times like this that I remember why I don't pay attention to people. I'd never be able to kill someone I like; it's just not in me.

"You know what I don't get? If they're ninja… why hire us?"

"To capture us, torture us for our secrets and strengthen their village that way?" I say like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Captain nods, but I didn't need him to.

"When we get home… I'm upping your training." Captain says. I guess it's the thought of us not being prepared for a mission like this? I mean, yet another C-turned-A-rank mission for us? And Hokage-sama is the one dishing them out. Is there a reason for that?

I don't know, but I can't say I care. "So long as the trainings are indoors when the rain starts, I'm good." I say honestly.

8-8

It's almost midnight. "I'm fighting with you." The man we're supposed to be protecting announces.

"No. You're not." I counter. "Protecting you and your family is part of our mission. You fighting with us is not."

"Nobu-san. I understand." Captain placates. "You want to protect your family, even if it costs you your life. That's still your job. Stay with them, and if anyone gets close, you know what to do."

"Kakashi-san… it doesn't sit right with me. To hide and cower while three kids fight for me." The man tries.

I snort, amused. "'Kids'. Well, better than what the villagers call us, eh Nii-san?"

"You don't ever let things go, do you." He doesn't ask. I shrug anyway. He should know that much about me by now.

"… I-"

"You don't want to know." I cut him off. "You need to be there for your pack. So be there for your pack. Do you have a blade?"

"… no. We thought we'd stick out too much being armed." Stupid thought. I take out four kunai and hand them to him.

"Two for you. Two for your mate. She's a chuunin as well, right?" He nods. "Good. Leave us do our job, you focus on yours."

"Alright. You three outside. Fox, ten clones inside for last line of defence. Hawk, keep your eyes peeled, your eyesight is better at night. Wolf, keep an eye on them while I talk to Nobu-san." I wave it off, already walking outside. I'm not worried, I still have four shadow crows keeping an eye out.

8-8

"Nothing yet. Are you sure it's almost midnight?" Hawk asks me. I glare at him, but he just shrugs it off. Do my glares hold no power over these people anymore?

"I think they're just coming up with a plan. I mean, I did kind of take out more than half of them." I wince at the dead tone Nii-san uses. I link my arm with his, leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Well, either way, we're in for a fight." Hawk doesn't have to sound so happy about that.

#Hawk's happy.# I sign to Fox-nii, behind Hawk's back. He snickers.

"Hnn?" Hawk wonders what's so funny, but that just makes Fox-nii laugh harder.

An influx of memories hits me. "Incoming. That way." I point. Both of them know about my issues with 'left' and 'right' so, I won't waste anyone's time with silly words like that.

I knock on the door to give Captain a heads up, while Fox-nii starts spamming out shadow clones like they're going out of style. I unseal a prepared Fuuma shuriken, wielding it right-handed. "Hawk, eyes." I remind him, just in case. Even if it means copying my jutsus here, I'm not risking lives for the sake of comfort.

The first of them enters my field of vision. I won't lie, seeing at night is a bit hard, but it's not as bad as it might be. I remember reading the info on a jutsu from the Namiki library that would help me see at night… but frankly that requires chakra control I don't have yet, so I didn't even consider it.

Anyway. The clones act as a first line of defence. Hawk and I mostly focus on picking them off at a distance. I throw my giant shuriken, cast a genjutsu on my target and see if they drop on the first hit – most do, but those that don't usually get hit by the ninja wire attached to my shuriken, which after some crafty manipulation wraps around their neck. A simple tug later and that's another target down. I see a few clones that are getting overpowered, so I cast a genjutsu or two on their attackers to help them out as well.

Things are going well, for the first fifteen or so minutes. Then…

A string of poofs announces that all of Fox-nii's clones get dispelled in one shot. Oh really? I unseal my windmill shurikens, offer one to Hawk, and we let both of them fly. Of the twenty-something that remained when the poofs happened, only five or so survived the shurikens. Sure, I have no idea where those things flew off to, but they did their jobs.

"Fox, Hawk. You alright?" I ask carefully.

"Nn." They both noise. Five targets left, but the one that just arrived is clearly a cut above the rest.

"Alright team. You've done your job. These are mine." Catain announces. "Support only. No heroics. Understood?"

Not a whole lot of difference then. I mean, Fox-nii's been pretty much handling them. We've only been allowed to be support. "Understood." We answer as one.

Captain strolls ahead, casual, like it's a relaxing Sunday afternoon. "Lovely weather tonight." He comments.

"Cut the crap, Konoha dog!"

"Hnn? You say that like it's a bad thing." It finally hits me. These people have no idea who we are. I mean, Hawk, Fox and I aren't that special. But even at the worst part of our 'relationship', I had to admit that Captain isn't one to mess with. "So… tell me. How many of you are left, exactly?"

One of the idiots attacks, out of rage, but I can't even see what Captain does. They just fall to pieces before they even get close to captain. The next four attack as one, keeping Captain dodging and slashing to try to take them all out one at a time. I'm so focused on them that…

"Down!" Hawk calls out. I duck on instinct, hearing a coughing-wheezing sound behind me. I turn around, finding that Fox-nii took a kunai that was meant for me, and Hawk slicing the attacker's head clean off his shoulders.

I grab Fox-nii, easing him down onto the ground as gently as I can and trying to assess the situation a lightning speed.

The kunai hit him in a lung. Not dead centre, thank Kami-sama, but still not a good place to get hit. I pull out the kunai immediately, my hands flashing through the handsigns for the diagnostic jutsu. I memorize what needs the most attention and deactivate the jutsu, then activate the healing palm jutsu. I focus on the lung first. Yes, he's losing blood through the surface wound as well, but this one worries me most.

It's a tense five minutes, but I manage to close the wound. I dig into my first aid kit and clean the surface wound. Then I switch back to the healing palm jutsu and close that as well. I still disinfect the freshly grown skin, before dressing it. I look to Fox-nii, finding him patiently looking right back at me.

"You're getting better at that." He says, offering a pained smile.

"You're just as protective of me as ever." I tease. "Still hurts?" He nods, but smiles anyway. "It's probably going to trouble you for a few days." I say seriously. I promise myself to take extra good care of him. I consider giving him a blood plasma pill… no, forget it… Nii-san's worth the cost of it and more, regardless if it isn't exactly needed right now. It wouldn't hurt. So I dig into my pouch again, and offer him a pill. I then unseal a bottle of water and instruct him to take the pill. I help him up so he can, and I let him drink the rest of the bottle in peace, before I carefully help him to his feet.

"Hey, Hawk… thanks." Fox-nii means it. I look over to Captain, but he's just wrapping up his last target now.

"Yes… Sasuke. Thank you." I bow to him – I want to bow low, but I'm currently helping Nii-san stand up. He just literally saved my life, along with Naruto-nii. Nii-san starts to cough and wheeze again. "Nii-san, cough it up. That's the blood that I couldn't get out. Don't try to swallow it."

I really should have left him laying down… but I don't have a stretcher sealed. I need to work on that. And on top of that! I'm not letting my Nii-san sleep outside in the cold! No way! I'm taking him inside and getting him as comfortable as the situation will allow!

And as soon as he's up for it! I'm sooooooo making all the ramen his heart could desire!

8-8

"How's the patient?" Captain asks early the next morning.

"Surprisingly good. I scanned his lung and he's already showing no sign he ever had an injury to begin with." I explain honestly. I hadn't slept a wink, refusing to let Nii-san go without medical attention if he needed it – or company, seeing as he had to stay away to cough up the blood.

"Good. I've already rounded up… the others. Our mission is complete." He explains. I nod.

"I would advise giving him another day, two at the most, to make sure he's in perfect health before travelling." I say, preferring to be overly cautious.

"Sis, I'm fine. Really!" He tries.

"You're also my patient, Nii-san. I'm not taking any chances with you. Seeing as we're not in any rush. I see no reason whatsoever to force you to run when your body needs time to heal."

"Actually. I was going to say that we're travelling with civilians anyway. So we'd be travelling at a somewhat leisurely pace regardless." Captain offers.

"… I'll check him later to be sure."

"Sis… come on! We still need to scout the place for weapons and jutsu!"

"Sasuke's doing that for us." I counter. "You need to rest! No clones until I say otherwise, and no… no anything other than eating, drinking and breathing!"

"But-"

"Nii-san." I interrupt, tears in my eyes. I don't want to think about it, but… hearing that kunai entering his lung, the coughing-wheezing sound he made right after, seeing him over and over again, laying there with a kunai lobbed in his chest. "Please?"

8-8

It's just after lunch time when Sasuke comes back into Nobu-san's house. He tosses me three scrolls, before wordlessly sitting to the table –a high one, with chairs– and I fix a plate for him with some tea. "I found your two windmill shuriken by the way." Sasuke tells me.

"Thanks." I ruffle his hair playfully. He looks annoyed, but doesn't say anything. "Captain wants us to hit the road soon. He'll probably start bugging me once you're done eating."

"… is he up for that?"

"… I want to say yes." I admit. "I mean, I've scanned him at least every half hour since last night, and I know that his wound is completely healed… but…"

"I understand." He says, a faraway look in his eyes. "I never thought I'd be grateful for the furry one."

I snort, amused. "You and me both." I doubt Nii-san would have survived without the Nine-tails inside him.

"There was quite a selection of jutsu scrolls by the way. Everything ranging from elemental, to training, to medical, to Yin and Yang release… the works." He tells me. I shrug, not really caring too much.

"We'll go through everything when we get home. Now eat up before it gets cold."

8-8

With no reason not to, we leave for Konoha around two in the afternoon. I make sure I'm within reach of my Nii-san if anything should happen though. I keep scanning him from time to time, making sure his condition doesn't… change in any way that isn't positive.

It's mostly a leisurely walk, so it shouldn't REALLY be too bad for him. But I'd still prefer if we had a stretcher and had him lying down. But… really, the timing is just so horrid! The rainy season should start any day now, and we can't rush back to Konoha. That means that if it starts raining…

Don't think about it, Aya. He'll be fine. You'll be watching him like a… well, like a hawk. I smirk at the wording. "No shortness of breath?" I ask Nii-san. He smiles patiently. "Pain? Tightness in the chest?"

"I'm fine, sis." He says, rolling his eyes.

"Not every damsel gets to save her hero! Let me take care of you too, Nii-san!"

8-8

It's only on the fourth day that I agree to let Nii-san try running along with us. It turns out that all three of our (adult) guests are chuunin –go figure– so they don't mind picking up the pace considerably. We make it to Konoha within a day, which I'm grateful for.

We head straight for the Tower, to give in our report. Seeing as this ended up being an A-ranked mission, that means a verbal initial report to Hokage-dono himself. Captain, of course, deals with the bulk of it, explaining everything – but mostly just giving the highlights.

"I see." Hokage-dono eventually says. "So it would see that Team Seven is at long last growing closer."

I bite my lip a little, but find myself smiling anyway. I nod. Sasuke was kind of awesome during the mission.

"Very well. You have all, once again, preformed admirably. Take the rest of the week off. And Aya, please have Naruto brought to the hospital just in case."

"Oi! Old man! That ain't right! I'm in perfect health! Even Aya has to admit that!"

"Oh?" Hokage-dono seems amused. "Is this true, Aya? Would you give Naruto a clean bill of health?"

"… Under the condition that he takes a few days to let his body rest, yes." I say cautiously. "I'd still prefer it if at least Hinata were to scan him just to be certain. And I plan on doing just that."

"I see. Very well. I will trust your judgment in this." He seems quite pleased with that. "And by the way. The Fire Daimyo has been informed of the incident."

"…" That brings me up short. The Fire Daimyo?

"Anything regarding a hidden village he knows nothing about is bound to attract his undivided attention. So I would say, look sharp. You three have in fact attracted his attention."

I can't even tell if that's a good thing… or a bad thing…

8-8

End Chapter 30

8-8

A/N: Hmm. Interesting. It seems that Sasuke is part of the pack now. Hmm, but... doesn't that make things more complicated? I mean, Orochimaru still wants the boy, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that he'll hear about Sasuke growing less isolated, and perhaps even less power hungry as a result of this? Will this change things? Will Orochimaru have to alter his plans?

Well, there's still a few months before that's even important (chronologically). We'll just have to wait and see. And now, especially now, we're going to have to see what the deal is at home. And how this new development changes things (if at all).